Ukraine-Russia war latest: US and Canada scramble fighter jets to intercept Russian military planes off Alaska
The US and Canada scrambled fighter jets to identify and intercept four Russian military planes off Alaska, amid growing concern over Moscow’s incursions into Nato airspace.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said it had detected and tracked two Russian Tu-95s and two Su-35s operating in the Alaskan Air Defence Identification Zone. They did not enter US or Canadian sovereign airspace.
NORAD said it responded by mobilising an E-3, four F-16s, and four KC-135 tanker aircraft.
The Alaskan Air Defence Identification Zone is an area of international airspace that requires the ready identification of all aircraft for national security purposes, NORAD said.
The incident follows several Russian incursions into Nato airspace in the past two weeks. Last Friday, three Russian MiG-31 fighter jets violated Estonia’s airspace for 12 minutes before Nato Italian fighter jets escorted them out.
Speaking during a press conference in the White House after the incident, Donald Trump did not address the jets but said he was “very disappointed” in Vladimir Putin for his ongoing war against Ukraine.
